After a year of freelancing (writing, producing, presenting, consulting, creating), lately I've been innocently asked this a lot by peers who are fascinated by my boundaryless job scope.
"What's your end game?"
Three, five, ten, and even fifteen years ago, I could answer this question confidently. These days, I find myself stumbling over the answer. Over the course of the past year, I've broadened my job scope in many different directions as and when I please; but as time goes by, I realize I want to start zeroing in my focus again towards something meaningful. Don't get me wrong - objectively speaking, work has been steadily progressing, but deep down, there's still something lacking. The last thing I want is to find myself well into my 30's in a place I don't want to be.
Then I found that the question shouldn't be, "What's the end game?" It should be, "What's your legacy?"
I've been told by someone older and maybe wiser, that no one really knows the answer to that question, even if they seem like they do. Even so, most of us want direction. On those days or months where you find yourself questioning your path, here are two points below I like to remind myself to get me back on track or to at least recalibrate my direction (adapted from "7 Strange Questions That Help Find Your Life Purpose" by Mark Manson).
GUN TO YOUR HEAD, IF YOU HAD TO LEAVE THE HOUSE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO?Read more here: "7 Strange Questions That Help Find Your Life Purpose" by Mark Manson
What most people don’t understand is that passion is the result of action, not the cause of it. Discovering what you’re passionate about in life and what matters to you is a full-contact sport, a trial-and-error process. None of us know exactly how we feel about an activity until we actually do the activity.
WHEN YOU DIE, HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED?
And again, if you fantasize about your obituary saying a bunch of badass shit that impresses a bunch of random other people, you’re failing here. Discovering one’s “purpose” in life essentially boils down to finding those one or two things that are bigger than yourself, and bigger than those around you. And to find them you must get off your couch and act.
Edit: This is worth noting as well. After reading this, a friend has just reminded me, "We will never live to see our legacy. Legacy is for others down the road to decide. What's now is purely a life which should be built on what will get you excited to do. Enjoy the journey and not the end. Simply because at the end, a new tiring journey begins." -K.S.